In the construction of automobiles or other transportation vehicles there is often an elongate depression formed at the interface between the roof panel and the adjacent body side panel. This depression is commonly referred to as a “roof ditch.” These roof ditches are typically covered by placing a molding strip within the depression to at least partially span the distance between the roof panel and the body side panel. The molding strip is held in place by a retainer element which interfaces with the molding and which is secured to the base of the ditch.
The roof ditch may have a degree of variation along its length. This variation may be in both depth and in width. The molding strips typically include a flexible edge that conforms to the opposing sidewall of the roof ditch. However, due to the flexible nature of the molding strip edge material, the molding strip may nonetheless shift in the direction transverse to the sidewalls. In an extreme case, a gap may open up between the molding strip and an opposing sidewall of the roof ditch. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a molding attachment system that promotes proper placement and retained orientation of the molding strip within the roof ditch.